In the Face of Death
by skullcandyklive
Summary: When Issei responded to a summoning, he definitely wasn't expecting to stand in the face of Death, much less for Death to look like a cute middle school girl, but that's where his new troubles begin. After having interfered with Death's task, Issei will assigned as an intern for a Deathsinger. How will he handle being Death's assistant on top of being a devil? Read to find out.
1. The Deathsinger part 1

**Chapter 1: The Deathsinger Part 1**

 **...**

 **...**

 **(On the outskirts of town, 7:00 pm, Monday)**

With the full moon illuminating the night sky tonight, every detail could be seen on a particularly grand-looking mansion, from the marble columns and the stone tigers to the monumental size of the building and the overall architecture. One would also be able to instantly see the numerous guards that were stationed around the whole structure, giving off the vibe that the residents of this building didn't joke around when it came to their security. With the combination of both one could easily mistake the inhabitants to either be of royal blood or a mafia boss.

Watching over this particular scene as it played out before her eyes was a young, short and petite little girl, who had girlishly short white hair, ruby red eyes, pale bony alabaster skin that seemed to glow under the moonlight, and a soft face that resembled a pre-teen. She was wearing an outfit that seemed to resemble a summer middle school uniform for girls. It consisted of a white button-down shirt with a black ribbon on the collar under a black button-down sweater vest with chibi skull crest on the upper left side, a white mini skirt, white knee-high socks, and black shoes.

On top of that she was also wearing a black sleeveless cloak that gave her a face an ominous shadow and a cute chibi skull ring one on each of her ring fingers.

All in all, anyone could've easily mistaken her for a harmless little 14 year old middle schooler...

...if it weren't for the fact that she was carrying a black scythe that was easily twice as tall as she was with a blade that was as long as she was tall.

She was watching the whole scene in front of her with an expressionless look on her face, as if the sheer impentrability of the fortress was nothing more than a mild inconvenience. There also appeared to be a calculating look on her face.

Dropping down from her perch on the tree, she started walking towards the mansion at a leisurely pace. Eventually, she reached the clearing where the mansion was situated. Almost instantaneously, the guards all pointed their guns at her.

After taking a few more leisurely steps, the girl stopped and eyed her surroundungs with the same emotionless face.

 _These men are targets._

She raised her scythe horizontally and parallel to her raised arm with the curved blade facing forward.

 _Therefore, their souls are forfeit._

Lunging forward faster than any human was expected to follow, she swung her scythe around in a wide arc, before lunging forward and repeating the motion in different directions. She continued the motion, until her movement became somewhat like a deadly spinning top.

Stopping her assault, the girl looked behind her at the now-severed torsos of the men she just killed.

Her expression didn't even falter.

Looking back at the huge mansion, she started making her way inside and through the gates and the mansion's courtyard.

Pulling out a smartphone as she continued making her towards the mansion, she started casually scrolling through the contents of the screen, before clicking on one particular item and pocketing the tiny black handheld device.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as the silence was replaced by a requiem sounding in the cool night air.

When she opened her eyes, she found that more guards have surrounded her and all of which looked like they would rather not have to face her, judging by the fact that they were shaking like leaves.

Not that she could blame them, the combination of her appearance, the soft requiem, and the fact that she just killed a significant amount of guards in a short amount of time, did give her a sort of deathlike vibe.

In other words, when the guards looked at her their minds practically flashed them a big neon sign that read "DEATH".

Raising her scythe yet again, the girl's expression didn't even falter as the men clumsily started aiming their guns at her.

She danced towards them in time with the music. She was gracefully dancing out of the bullet's paths and ducking into their inside range, before slashing at her attacker's torso. Her opponents could do nothing more than a panic as they continued their directionless firing, while their numbers slowly dwindled.

Eventually, the courtyard had been littered with the bodies of the guards and their splattered blood. Looking around her as the soft melody of the requiem continued to play in the background, she addressed the lifeless corpses.

"You should've known that when you choose to oppose a shinigami that the safety of your souls would not be guaranteed" she spoke in a soft, emotionless, pre-adolescent and child-like tone.

Just as she said this, she saw movement from her peripheral vision. She turned towards the source of the movement coming from the gardens and saw a young girl with black hair and brown eyes wearing a victorian-styled dress running away from the mansion.

"She is one of the main targets" she observed in her usual monotone voice. "Her efforts are quite frankly futile though. Just as one cannot escape from death, one cannot escape from me"

Was the last thing she said, before she dashed towards the fleeing girl with a very impressive amount of speed. The girl looked back at her pursuer and panicked even more as she renewed her efforts of trying to run away from him. Her fearful expression only grew as the girl in the cloak easily kept up with her renewed pace.

 _This is all futile._ Thought the girl as she continued to chase after her victim.

Finally having enough of this futile attempt to get away from her own death, the girl leaped up and above the girl, landing in front her next victim, while standing on top of a fountain.

It seems that they were currently at the center of the gardens' labyrinth of hedges.

Seeing that her exit route had been cut off, the girl stopped in her tracks and landed on her butt. The girl immediately started backing away in fear. The small girl was practically quivering in her victorian dress as the red-eyed girl stared her down.

"Just so you know, your family won't be coming to save you" the red-eyed girl said casually, albeit emotionlessly. The small girl looked at him with a question in her eyes.

"I poisoned them" the red-eyed girl deadpanned, which caused the small girl to try and get up and run, but because of her own panic she only ended up tripping over her own two feet.

"I really hope you don't plan on running again. You are only delaying the inevitable and quite frankly, you're not the only one whose soul I have to reap this evening" The red-eyed girl said emotionlessly. "So I suggest you cease your futile struggles."

She raised her scythe again, intent on finishing her job right here and now, when a voice resounded from the clearing.

"Hey, did someone summon a devil?"

The small girl seemed to be torn between relief and confusion at that declaration. She expected the devil to appear before her in a magic summoning circle and protect her, but given the circumstances she wouldn't be picky.

"Please save me, Mister Devil! This girl wants to kill me!" The small girl shouted and soon after that, the sound of bicycle wheels rapidly turning could be heard. Whoever that was must've seen the bodies and answered the girl's call without a second thought.

"I'm coming, just hang on!"

A few more seconds after that little call, a brunette boy with brown eyes wearing black pants, white shoes, a black school jacket and a red shirt under it. Also, he was on a bicycle.

What kind of devil responds to a summon via bicycle?!

Panting slightly, Issei got off from his bicycle and addressed the red-eyed girl in the cloak, who was probably the cutest little grim reaper girl he's ever seen. "Wait a second, you're the one who killed all those people?!" Asked Issei in disbelief.

The red-eyed girl nodded. "They were my targets, so their souls were forfeit"

Issei immediately took on a defensive stance in front of the small girl and his arm glowed green, before a red dragon-like gaunlet appeared on his left arm.

The boosted gear of the red dragon emperor.

Neither looking fazed nor surprised by this development, the red eyed girl took on a traditional stance with her scythe and started to stare down the devil boy.

"You're not a target, so there's no need to kill you." The red-eyed girl said monotonously.

"B-but you plan on killing this girl, right?" Asked Issei nervously, while taking on a typical fighting stance, albeit one that had left too many openings for attack.

"Yup." She deadpanned.

"Yup?!"

Issei almost wanted to fall over at the deadpan expression on the red-eyed girl's face as she confessed that she wanted to kill the small defenseless girl behind her, without even so much as flinching.

"This doesn't involve you, devil boy." Said the red-eyed girl. "No one can escape or defy death, your actions are only delaying the inevitable. It is not yet your time, but if you continue to get in my way, then I _will_ be forced to kill you"

Despite the fact that she was _clearly_ threatening to kill him, Issei couldn't help, but coo and giggle pervertedly at the sheer cuteness of the little girl in front of him.

He wasn't exactly into little girls and he wasn't a lolicon by nature, but he just couldn't help jimself.

He may have been into older girls or girls of the same age and the only girl he would pervertly look over that was younger than him was Koneko, but still, he couldn't deny that she was downright adorable...

...and he was loving the sight he was seeing. His expression grew especially excited when a breeze blew past her skirt, revealing the little girl's...

 _ **THWACK!**_

His perverted fantasies were forcefully interrupted, when the flat of the scythe's blade came crashing down on top of his head.

He fell down on the ground in a daze and at a lost.

For her part, the red-eyed girl felt a sudden and intense intuitive urge to thwack the devil boy upside the head with the flat of her scythe for some unknown reason.

She didn't understand why she did it, but she didn't exactly regret it. She had an inkling that she was in the right.

Making his way past the devil boy, the red-eyed girl started walking towards the terrified little girl, who started backing away in fright.

"Oh no, you don't" said Issei as he got up from the ground and raised his sacred gear.

" **BOOST"** said the voice inside his sacred gear.

He charged at him from behind, aiming dragon boosted punch at the red-eyed girl's unprotected back.

The red-eyed girl sighed.

Swiftly turning around she raised her scythe to meet the blow, deflecting the punch upwards and in the same motion she used Issei's momentum against him by lifting him up off the ground in a wide arc, before slamming him down on the ground.

Looking down on the devil boy's dazed expression, the red-eyed girl let out an exasperated sigh.

She had a feeling that he would just keep coming back up again regardless of how many times she knocked him down.

"No matter how powerful your sacred gear is, it will do you little good, if you are incapable of utilizing it to its full potential" lectured the red-eyed girl in a monotonous tone.

"Sh-shut up!" Said Issei with a determined expression as he proceeded to get up from the ground.

 _So he's the type who won't easily give up, huh?_ Thought the red-eyed girl monotonously.

"Ha, wonderful" muttered the red-eyed sarcastically.

"No matter what, I'll protect this innocent little girl!" Issei cried determinedly as he got up from the ground and raised his gaunlet.

 **"BOOST!"**

Issei gave a loud battle cry as he charged towards her again.

"Innocent, huh?" The red-eyed girl mused monotonously as he danced away from the devil boy's punch. "Foolish, on top of being impulsive and reckless"

Issei continued his assault and every time the girl effortlessly dodged out of each and every one of the boy's punches, until the red-eyed girl finally jumped back and sighed as she landed.

"Very well, I've run out of patience" she said monotonously, before reaching into her cloak with the hand that wasn't holding her scythe. Issei watched curiously as she drew out what appeared to be a tarot card and showed it to him.

Death _._

Seeing that Issei immediately jumped back from the girl in panic and anticipation. The red-eyed girl didn't even seem to be fazed.

"This is my sacred gear, Memento Mori" said the red-eyed girl, before the card started to crackle with black lightning, smoke started writhing around the card's edges in the shape of ghostly black skulls and it started glowing with an ominous transluscent purple light.

Before Issei could even make a move to stop whatever was about to happen, the red-eyed girl spoke...

 **"Asylum"**

…

…

 **To imagine the scythe simply google "Spirit Albarn Scythe form"**


	2. The Deathsinger part 2

**Chapter 2: The Deathsinger Part 2**

…

…

All of a sudden Issei's surroundings froze to a halt, everything seemed to just freeze at that particular moment in time, except for them, that is. It was like time had been stopped just for them.

"What did you do?" Asked a confused Issei as he curiously poked at a falling leaf that feel from a bush.

 **"I would like to know that as well, the ability to create one's own world is quite frankly very powerful"** a much deeper voice that sounded a bit mirthful sounded behind the confused devil boy.

Turning around nervously, Issei came face to face with none other than the red dragon emperor, Draig, who also happened to be grinning at the little red-eyed girl and completely ignoring his host's panic-laced shouts.

"Who in the world is this?! What did you do to this place?! Where did he come from?!" Issei said in panic. He may not have been the sharpest crayon in the box, but he was pretty sure that 1.) there was no dragon behind him a few seconds ago. 2.) that time was flowing just fine a few seconds ago and 3.) a dragon of this size shouldn't even be able to fit in this garden, without flattening some of the hedges.

His cries fell on deaf ears as the red-eyed girl addressed the red dragon.

"Is he really so weak that he can't even hear your voice when you attempt to talk to him?" Asked the red-eyed girl monotonously, as if this was all completely normal.

 **"Unfortunately, yes. He doesn't even have enough magical power to use a transportation circle"** said Draig in an exasperated tone.

The red-eyed girl actually winced sympathetically.

"You have my pity" she said monotonously, to which Draig nodded.

For his part, Issei's jaw dropped to the ground and he wanted to fall over as his cries fell on deaf ears. Not only were they ignoring him, but they were insulting him too. On top of that, they were acting like they were just some old friends.

 **"Are you going to kill him in this conjured world of yours? You should be capable of that seeing that you have complete control over this illusion"** Asked Draig in a serious tone, to which the red-eyed girl responded by shaking her head, much to Issei's relief.

"He is not a target, so there is no need to kill him" said the red-eyed girl monotonously, before turning to Issei, who flinched and straightened up nervously.

If what they were saying was true, then in this world, the red-eyed girl could do anything she wanted to him and he wouldn't be able to do a damn thing. It was better to not act rash.

But still...

He couldn't help but imagine the applications of this little ability. Damn, what he wouldn't give to get an ability like this. If he had his own world where he was in complete control he could strip away any girls clothes and they would also do whatever he told them to. Rias and Akeno could hug and kiss him, while they were in nothing, but their birthday suits.

Seeing the increasingly perverted expression on the devil boy's face, the red-eyed girl thwacked him upside the head with her scythe.

Not looking the least bit sorry, she addressed the devil boy, who was currently nursing a fresh bump on his head.

"You truly believe that this little girl is innocent" the red-eyed girl stated, not asked as she pointed to the girl who was (literally) frozen.

The way Issei looked at her, the answer was clear. The red-eyed girl sighed and shook her head in exasperation.

"Clearly, what you lack in skill, combat experience, and ability, you lack more in intelligence, maturity, and capability of seeing through facades" the red-eyed girl stated monotonously, albeit exasperatedly.

"What are you trying to say here?!" Protested Issei weakly. "You just killed that girl's family and all her guards, right? And between the two of you, you definitely look like the most dangerous...and the cutest" Issei said the last part pervertedly, which earned him another thwack on the head.

"Did you ever stop to think why I would do such a thing?" Questioned the red-eyed girl calmly, making Issei falter for a moment.

She pointed at the fountain on her side and as she did so, the fountain seemed to disperse into a swarm of black butterflies, leaving a gaping hole where the fountain once was.

"Would you like to find out the reason? Be warned, though, what you see is not by any means pleasant." The red-eyed girl said emotionlessly, to which Issei simply started walking towards the hole on the ground in curiosity.

Just what in the world could that hole contain for (what he assumed to be) a grim reaper to kill an entire family along with several guards.

The moment he arrived at the edge of the hole he looked down.

Issei's eyes widened in horror and his jaw fell slack at the sight before him. The petrifying chill, the overwhelming sense of dread, the paralyzing fear freezing him on the spot, it all felt so familiar somehow, when was the last time he felt so horrified like this?

That's right, when Asia lost her sacred gear to the fallen angels.

Somehow, this felt a whole lot worse than that.

Inside the hole's relatively small opening were a multitude of dungeons of varying sizes that banded together to form what could only be described as a beehive chamber; numerous dungeons that were all clustered together and extended beyond into the darkness. The hole seemed to be only an skylight, while most of the dungeons extended farther into the darkness where, even with his enhanced vision, Issei couldn't see.

That wasn't the most disturbing though, what was disturbing was that each and every one of these dungeons all contained people who could be no older than 12 or 18. They all were still so young and yet their bodies suggested that they were hanging onto life by a thin thread.

Their bodies were marred, maimed, bloodied, scarred and some of them even looked like they had contracted some kind of virus, judging by the sickly purple spots on their skin.

 **"What on earth is this?"** Even Draig was at a lost for words at the sheer amount of suffering he could plainly see right before his eyes. **"In all my years as a heavenly dragon, never have I ever seen such inhumane suffering"** he said disbelievingly. Not even the great war, had anything close to this.

"That girl and her family lures in the homeless and orphans on the street by putting on the facade of good samaritans and once they're in the mansion they give them food that has been drugged and they end up here, where the family and their guards generally torture them in any method that tickles their fancy" said the red-eyed girl with her default poker as she joined their side.

"What?" Was all Issei could manage to say as he continue to stare at the scene before his eyes.

"Nothing in existence is more frightening than a human" the red-eyed said in reply.

At that, Issei realized something. Was that why that girl summoned him? Was this the reason why she summoned a devil? So, that she and her family could torture these people in an entirely different way? Were they going to force him to torture these innocent people in exchange for a pact?

As if hearing his thoughts, the red-eyed girl nodded and said. "All of your assumptions are correct"

Before Issei could respond, everything seemed to change all of a sudden, which made his eyes widen as he looked around the surrounding areas. There was no dragon, everything was moving, the fountain was still there, and he was still in the place where he stood before.

Issei looked at the red-eyed girl and saw that the tarot card she was holding slowly lost its glow and power, turning into an ordinary tarot card again. She placed the sacred gear back inside her cloak and turned to address him with narrowed eyes.

"Do you still wish to interfere?" She asked emotionless, albeit angrily.

Remembering what he just saw, Issei's eyes widened as he looked at the frightened girl behind him, who was still shaking in fear. Issei knew that he could be making a big mistake and that what he just saw was an illusion that was meant to trick him into abandoning an innocent to her killer...

...but...

The boosted gear deactivated and he shook his head at the red-eyed girl.

...He had a feeling that he was doing the right thing and that he should trust the red-eyed girl.

From his peripheral vision, he saw the red-eyed girl nod and walk towards him. She stopped 5 feet away from him, before she spoke.

"If its any consolation, her wicked soul shall be punished after death" she said in a neutral tone, which made him nod absentmindedly. He was still a bit shaken by what he just saw. He just wanted to crawl up in bed and cry for all those innocent people.

Still, he was a bit glad to hear that their tormentors would be punished.

"You don't have to stay and watch, I can send you back to the heiress of Gremory" offered the red-eyed girl to which he nodded. He didn't have the will to use his bicycle to ride home.

With that, the red-eyed girl extended her hands in front of her and both of the the rings she had on her fingers started glowing with a purple light, crackling with black lightning and smoking with skull-shaped shadows.

A chibi skull pattern in glowing transluscent purple light suddenly engraved itself on the ground below Issei and lit up to form a transluscent barrier of purple light that surrounded him. Before he disappeared though, he had to ask.

"What's your name?"

"Mikoto Shiratori, a Deathsinger and a daughter of Lord Death"

Another second longer and Issei was gone, along with the magic pattern.

Mikoto turned to face the girl, who was starting to look more outraged.

"Any last words?"

With that, the girl launched into an outraged tirade about how those peasants should be honored to be able to provide her and her family with decent entertainment and that they all desrved to die and not her and her family, which silenced halfway by Mikoto swinging her scythe at the girl's neck; severing her head and killing her.

Not even flinching or faltering at the sight of what she just did, Mikoto looked at the fountain and extended her hands again.

Sure enough, a chibi skull pattern made of purple light shined in front of her, but this wasn't the same as when he transported Issei back to the heiress Gremory because once it dissipated it was replaced by a grand piano.

He turned to the fountain and the victims that were undoubtedly trapped underneath. Extending her hands again, a chibi skull pattern surrounded the fountain and disintegrated it in a barrier of purple light.

Once that was done, she took a deep breath before addressing the dwellers of the chambers, who couldn't even muster the strength to look up at the moonlight.

"Victims of an inhumane amount of suffering by the hands of these wicked souls you all are, while you've all done nothing deserve as such. Your minds were toyed with and traumatized, while your bodies were marred and maimed beyond recovery. All humans are to endure suffering over the course of their life, yet none must suffer this fate at such a tender age." Mikoto said monotonously, albeit loudly. Her voice resounded all throughout the chamber and dungeons and reached the ears of its prisoners. "Life has brought you suffering, so I grant you all the gift of Death. This is not by no means the end, but a new beginning. An opportunity for you all to start over in the other side. Leave this world behind for a better one and rest in peace. May you all safely crossover to the afterlife and may you find comfort in knowing that your tormenters shall be punished for their transgressions in the deepest depths of tartarus where no light shall reach them."

She turned and sat in front of her piano, before speaking again.

"Sleep well all of you, when you awake a new life will be waiting for each and every one of you. Your hardships are over, it is time to rest" she spoke again, before her fingers started dancing across the keys, playing out a soothing and serene melody that resembled both a requiem and lullaby.

A soft and tranquil melody filled the night sky and the depths of the dungeons that have served as a home for these poor unfortunate souls.

It reached the ears of these captives and as it did, a tired smile found its way onto their faces as their eyes slowly closed and their bodies slowly lost their tension. Overwhelming relief and warmth flooded their bodies as the music continued to play, they could feel the pain of their injuries slowly fade away and their tortured thoughts slowly leave them. They all slowly laid their heads on the ground, as if they were going to sleep as the music continued to play.

As their eyelids slowly closed, they all realized what this feeling was. It has been so long that they have forgotten what it felt like.

They were happy.

They all closed their eyes with smiles on their faces and as they did, a chibi skull pattern in purple light shined around their sleeping bodies and a purple glow shined around their figures, which slowly dissipated and diffused as small fragments or balls of light slowly started floating up from the bodies, as if those fragments were part of that same light and that their souls were slowly passing on to the next life. The balls of light floated a good 5 or 7 feet in the air before they entered a small chibi skull pattern that formed mid-air.

They were all passing on to the next life, leaving this world behind for a better one.

This symphony of souls continued, until eventually the all of the light left their bodies, the patterns disappeared, and their bodies went limp, albeit with smiles on their faces.

Mikoto finished her song, before fishing out her iPhone from her pocket and checling her schedule. She was way behind schedule because of that devil boy's interference and she still had to bring the other souls into the pits of tartarus.

If only that devil boy hadn't interfered, her schedule wouldn't be in chaos like it was now. She shook her head in exaperation as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

Honestly, why the heiress of Gremory would turn someone like him into her devil servant she'll never understand.

The boosted gear may be powerful, but its wielder leaves a lot to be desried. He might as well have been a child with an expensive toy.

A horny and perverted child, at that.

She shook her head to clear her head and sighed. Why the heiress of Gremory would want a servant like that was none of her concern and neither was worrying about it.

She delayed long enough, standing here thinking about it was neither going to give her any concrete answers nor was it going to make her tasks any easier. Her role in this world definitely wasn't an easy one, being one of the harbingers of Death and, for all intents and purposes, an assassin of the wicked souls, but still

"I certainly hope that you actually believed that you have escaped your transgressions through death because the time has come for me to send you all to the pits of Tartarus, where your wicked souls may be punished accordingly" she said with a smug smile.

there were moments, like this, where it felt very satisfying to be a Deathsinger.

…

…

 **So, tell me all what you think about my own little addition to DxD universe?**

 **Please leave a review to tell me what you all think and I'll see you in the next update.**


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